That according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, who adds that the Rockets are looking for young front court cornerstones and draft picks in exchange for the injured center. Both the Kings and Bobcats are franchises looking to trim payroll right now.

The Kings do have talented rookie DeMarcus Cousins but have refused to put him in any proposed deal. Same with last year’s Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans. After that both the Kings and Bobcats are largely looking at a picks-centered packages.

The talks are nowhere near getting done, negotiations are in the early stages.

Yao is out for the rest of this season due to a stress fracture in his ankle. It is unclear if he plans to try one more comeback or not, but he will be a free agent this summer and could sign with the team that traded for him, including returning to the Rockets. The new deal would certainly be for less money that his existing contract.

The Rockets can afford to be patient as they look for a deal, if nothing else they could use the cap space and flexibility that Yao’s contract provides. But for now they are listening.